• Attackers were from outside, not from respective areas of MPs 

By Yohan Perera and Ajith Siriwardana   

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe yesterday told Parliament that he had sought the assistance of Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) to conduct an impartial investigation on the incidents of May 9, 2022 in which the residential properties of some parliamentarians were set ablaze by organised gangs from outside.   

Speaking during the condolence vote on late MP Amarakeerthi Athukorala who was killed during mob violence that day, said he had written to the CPA Secretary General seeking assistance to carry out an impartial investigation on arson attacks on the houses of some MPs and politicians and on the attack on protesters near Temple Trees and at Galle Face. “I have written to CPU Secretary-General to seek his assistance to conduct an investigation on the killing of Mr. Athukorala, the assault on SJB MP Kumara Welgama, the attacks on houses belonging to politicians and on the attacks on protesters,” the Prime Minister said.   
“I have looked into the matter and the investigations have revealed that those who burnt houses of politicians all over the country on May 9, 2022 have been outsiders and not the people in respective villages. The Courts have failed to call for an investigation on the phone conversations of attackers but Speaker has the power to summon those from telecom companies such as SLT and Dialog and get information on phone conversations,” he added.   
He then singled out TNA MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam whom he said had come out with aggressive statements in the House on May 9 incidents on an earlier date. Mr. Rasamanickam said the MPs were attacked as they raised their hands to approve the 20th Amendment to the constitution. How can an MP speak in this manner? I recall the killing of late Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar. He was gunned down by the LTTE who criticised him outside Parliament, However, we hear MPs being criticised from within Parliament. The MP should be made to tender an apology and the Speaker should take action against him by appointing a committee to look into the statements made by him if the former fails to apologize. There are photographs of Mr. Rasamanickam posing together with Front Line Socialist Party Leader Kumar Gunaratnam. No one opposes Front Line Socialists Party as long as they are engaged in politics within a democratic frame but what if they go beyond democracy?” he asked.